The Verge of Insanity
by Trins xxx
Summary: Virtue has a veil, vice a mask, But in Roswell, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two. And for several teenagers in Roswell, the torrid past of the sleepy town is coming back to haunt them with a vengeance and they might not all survive to find out who wears a veil and who wears a mask. All-Human AU. CC pairings.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Roswell. I do however love it.

**Author's Note****: **An all-human AU which follows but subverts the plots of the TV show to an extent. The pairings, at least for this story, will be largely CC but also pro-Tess (or rather, pro-Tess from this universe). I'd like to give a big, giant nod to Remnants written by Didi and Doomsday by candysteffi for inspiring to write an AU story in Roswell. Please do read and review - even if you hate it, I'd rather know that than be in complete ignorance of it. Constructive criticism is especially welcome but most importantly, enjoy reading it.

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The Verge of Insanity

~ Virtue has a veil, vice a mask. ~

_Victor Hugo_

As she came out of the airport into the blinding sunlight, her squint turned into a scowl as she realised that her ride would be a battered car that had chipped paint, scratches and would, no doubt, create noises loud enough to give her a headache when driven.

Stomping over to the passenger seat, she slipped herself in, having decided to make this as tough on her father as she could. After all, she thought bitterly, this wasn't easy on her at all, and if he was going to ask for her opinion only to disregard it completely, then why _should_ she make it easy for him?

She had put on her large sunglasses and propped her chin onto her knees when he came outside dragging the luggage behind him, the sunshine brightening his hair to make it seem more golden, like hers. 'Thanks for helping with the luggage, sweetheart,' came his voice, overly cheery. 'Especially since most of it is yours.'

She didn't bother replying to his obvious sardonic comments, staring out of the window instead as he opened the boot and placed all of the suitcases in. Besides, she thought indignantly, she was pretty sure normal girls couldn't pack all of their clothes into one suitcase. She made a point of staying silent and staring away from him as her father got in and started the car. Her mood worsened proportional to the distance they travelled and by the end of an hour, she was more than ready to snap when her father provided the perfect opportunity.

'You can't stay silent forever, darling,' her father's voice had been cajoling.

It caused her to snap. 'Well, what's the point of talking if you're not going to listen?' Retorting like that had been bad enough but she always did take things to excess, and this time had been no different. Every single thought she'd meant to keep secret, everything she felt when she was at her lowest burst forth through her lips and even as her soul reeled from unleashing such spite, she couldn't stop her lips from moving. 'I wish you hadn't killed mum. I wish I'd never met you and didn't have to live with you. I hate you. I'd rather live by myself and pay for every little thing than have to do everything at your _whim_,' had ended her tirade, breath coming in short, angry gasps and chest feeling horribly heavy.

She knew that she'd gone too far and when the car swerved abruptly and pulled to a stop on the side of I-40, it had confirmed what she already knew. She slanted a glance at her father, her eyes lingering on the large hands that gripped the steering wheel so tightly that the knuckles had whitened. He'd never hit her, never even come close but…

_But_ there was always a but. And there was always a first time.

She found his lips released from the thin line they'd been compressed into and they moved but no voice seemed to come out.

When he did speak, it made her jump but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. 'Would you rather stay there and die?' His throat was clogged up and it was a struggle to get even these meagre words out. How could he explain to her, make her understand and realise the reality of their situation when he didn't want her to. If he had his was, she'd have remained an innocent baby for the whole of her life but that had been stripped from her a long time ago. 'Would you rather have stayed there and died?' His voice picked up volume as his words picked up steam. 'Because if you'd rather go back, I can take you right now. We can turn around and go back there if you're okay with dying.'

His mouth felt like ash and he felt defeated. 'That was the option we're faced with.' He ran a tired hand down his face.

It felt like an eternity but he finally heard her speak, her voice a fractured whisper. '_Dad_…' and that was all it took to break him. He grabbed her, tugging her violently into his chest and wrapping his arms tightly enough that he knew it would hurt her but he couldn't help it. Because that was the decision he'd been facing. Take her away and survive, stay and die. And when it came to his baby girl, there hadn't really been a choice anyway.

'I'm sorry daddy…' he heard her muffled voice and could feel the tears soak through his shirt. He just buried his face deeper into her hair, tightening his arms around her.

It was a while before they were composed enough to let go of each other and if her father's eyes looked suspiciously shiny or his nose looked a little red, she saw no need to point it out. She was sure she looked bad enough herself.

They were rolling back onto the road when he spoke again.

'Tessie, I'm so sorry about all this. I know you liked it at home but…' He didn't need to finish the sentence.

She felt awful. She'd suspected it all along. She knew how much her father loved her, how he'd do anything and everything for her and she'd known that if they moved, it was because they _had_ to move. Just because she didn't want to, just because she was a bratty teenager, she'd taken out all her frustrations on her dad. She sat up a little straighter in her chair, pointing her chin defiantly outside the window. Well, that was all going to change from now on. She wasn't going to be bratty or selfish. It was time to think about her dad and put him first.

As much as she hated sunny, little dusty dumps like Roswell, she'd bear it with a grin (or at least without a scowl). She'd keep her head down and focus on work. There was no need to make friends this time – it was only a matter of a couple of years until college. She'd bring home amazing grades and then go and help her father out – somebody needed to have his back in the field, and she couldn't trust anyone to keep him safe more than herself.

Her father's hand found her head, and pulling it towards him gently, he dropped a kiss on it.

It was all going to be okay. She knew what she had to do, she had a mission now and she was ready for it. Tess kept her blue eyes focussed outside the window, steely reserve hiding beneath an indifferent façade.

A hundred odd miles away, in a quaint family diner, dark eyes were following a pretty brunette waitress with alien antennae on as she served the customers food with a smile. A similar steely reserve was disguised behind an affable personality, patiently biding time, with full intention of throwing a spanner in Tess' plan with a sadistic vengeance. More like a bullet, or even a knife if there was time and privacy enough to have fun. The eyes gleamed with anticipation as a pleasant smile graced the attractive face.


End file.
